Quinn Pro Quo: $475K for Pat Quinn’s Services

Did Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration intervene in the road builders strike to help the public — or to help two labor unions which gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations just days before?

That question Tuesday moved to the front of the race for governor as Illinois Republicans suggested — but stopped short of charging — that Mr. Quinn may have been caught in a Rod Blagojevich-style pay-to-play scheme.

Team Quinn denied any impropriety.

Specifically at issue is $475,000 Mr. Quinn’s campaign has reported receiving in May and June from the laborers’ and operating engineers’ unions and its connection, if any, to a July 18 letter from Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hanning.

Let’s shed some light on this subject. The contractors doing PLA project (tollway work) were breaking the contract with the Tollway Authority. Project Labor Agreement work requires that all contractors doing the work are REQUIRED to have a CURRENT collective bargaining agreement with the unions doing the work and that 100% of the work is required to be done by union workers but in return the unions agree not to strike those projects (which the unions involved did not). Quinn did the right thing by getting the road work going again by telling the contractors, in essence, that if they were not willing to work this out with the unions and live up to those contracts that they may shut those jobs down and replace those contractors with the contractors who had current collective bargaining agreements with the unions. The contractors were forced to ‘bargain in good faith’ (remember, this was a strike against the contractors for Unfair Labor Practices). Next time read the contract and don’t cry afterwards.

# 28 July 2010 at 8:46 pm

John Maynard Krebs (author) said:

Wow Dick,
And it only took a $475,000 donation for Quinn to find out those details. He should have just calle dyou first.
JMK

# 28 July 2010 at 8:50 pm

Dick said:

So what did he do wrong John???

# 28 July 2010 at 9:02 pm

Dick said:

I have an idea. Let’s make it against the law to take any political contributions!!! Are you insinuating that Quinn did this only because he received contributions from the unions??

# 28 July 2010 at 9:05 pm

John Powers (author) said:

I typed in the headline, Dick, and yes I was making a pun, Quinn Pro Quo sort of like Quid Pro Quo…this for that, if Latin serves me.

I am insinuating in the headline that Quinn traded the services of the executive office of the State of Illinois for $475K in campaign donations.

Pat Brady and Kirk Dillard actually state this in the Crain’s piece,though you are right, I was just insinuating it.

Funny JMK…Quinn should just hire Dick and save the unions some money to shore up their members pensions rather than purchasing politicians.

JBP

# 28 July 2010 at 9:14 pm

Dick said:

Is true reporting unbiased or was this an editorial?

# 28 July 2010 at 9:18 pm

Dick said:

What I mean is–if it is unbiased why the slant?

# 28 July 2010 at 9:19 pm

Dick said:

You’d have to admit that I make a valid point about the contracts. Wouldn’t you?

# 28 July 2010 at 9:26 pm

John Powers (author) said:

Dick, there is a picture of the joker accompanying the article. of course it is biased. but Quinn behavior needs to be looked at